White House urges agencies to remember small businesses for micro purchases

Continuing its push to support small businesses, the White House is reminding agency financial and acquisition officers not to forget small firms when they make credit card micro purchases of $3,000 or less, which are not affected by larger scale required set-asides.

A Dec. 19 letter from Dan Gordon, the departing administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and Danny Werfel, controller, said the Office of Management and Budget and the Small Business Administration are "working with agencies to improve access by small businesses to the federal marketplace and to increase communications to small businesses about federal business opportunities." Agency purchase cardholders "should consider small businesses, to the maximum extent practicable, when making micro purchases."

According to a private study required by Congress, agencies used the General Services Administration's SmartPay® purchase cards in fiscal 2010 for $6 billion in transactions with small businesses at or below the micro purchase threshold. This amounts to about 30 percent of the total annual government purchase card spending, the letter stated.

The White House asked agencies within six months to "adjust cardholder training as needed to help ensure cardholders continue to place a reasonable proportion of micro purchases with small businesses, consistent with agency mission support needs."